Ojutai, Control's Elder Dragon

Phoenixlance · Post by **Phoenixlance** » 3 years ago

Dragonlord Ojutai

Approximate Total Cost:

I've always been an Azorius player at heart. Those colors are what drew me to Magic in the first place: my first casual deck was some janky UW list with Serra Angel, and then I spent most of my Modern career trying to make UW as competitive as possible in my combo and aggro-infested meta. When I moved into the realm of EDH all those years ago, I knew I had to have my favorite color pairing represented.

And what better way to do that than to use my favorite card? Dragonlord Ojutai flies, gives me card selection, sort of protects itself, and is a dragon. What's not to love? I played with this card a bunch in Standard and Modern, and now it has a home here.

This deck has evolved from something cute with Dragon-matters cards like Silumgar's Scorn and a host of vigilance effects like Ajani Steadfast to what you see above. It is direct with its intentions: control the board, play your beautiful dragon, and protect the queen with an abundance of countermagic. This is accentuated by a small Equipment package that looks straight from the Stoneblade playbook, and Kamigawa All-Star Minamo.

I feel like I've come to the stage where I want to hone this even more. I've noticed that my creature-centric playgroup tends to stretch the limits of my current removal suite to the point where I feel like I'm frantically digging for answers. Part of this is obviously just a natural consequence of playing in a 3-4 player pod, but having more than 4 pieces of spot removal (not including countermagic) may help. I've also come to notice my games can feel a bit dichotomous: I either explode out of the gate thanks to my rocks, or I struggle and plod forward. Finally, there is the glaringly obvious hole in that this deck has very few no ways to win outside of Ojutai smashing people in the face repeatedly.

I'd like this to get to that 75% place if it hasn't arrived already; I'm never certain how to quantify that metric. I guess it may be better to say that I want this to reach a place where it is honed, tuned, and able to stand up the rigors of more competitive tables (although not cEDH). This would mean it would probably be retired from my dedicated playgroup, but once the world resumes I'll have more opportunities to let my best draconic gal shine.

TheAmericanSpirit · Post by **TheAmericanSpirit** » 3 years ago

Considering how hard Ojutai digs on combat damage, try approach of the second sun as a back up wincon. I love me some azorius myself and it's one of the most solid game enders in that pairing. You can cast it (putting it 7 deep), attack to dig 3 (now 4 deep), next turn draw (now 3 deep), and then attack again to get it back for the win, in just 2 turns with the proper aforementioned sequencing. Gives you an out if voltron is occasionally too slow to kill the whole table.

Phoenixlance · Post by **Phoenixlance** » 3 years ago

TheAmericanSpirit wrote: ↑
3 years ago
Considering how hard Ojutai digs on combat damage, try approach of the second sun as a back up wincon. I love me some azorius myself and it's one of the most solid game enders in that pairing. You can cast it (putting it 7 deep), attack to dig 3 (now 4 deep), next turn draw (now 3 deep), and then attack again to get it back for the win, in just 2 turns with the proper aforementioned sequencing. Gives you an out if voltron is occasionally too slow to kill the whole table.

I really like this idea. I honestly forgot that one existed. It definitely feels like it would play well in this deck, and as you pointed out synergizes really well with Ojutai herself.

I've also been considering swapping out some of my more expensive draw effects for things like Preordain, Impulse, etc to help with consistency, which only makes Approach better.

TheAmericanSpirit · Post by **TheAmericanSpirit** » 3 years ago

I really support the idea of adding preordain, et al. I would also recommend you add some more cheap spot removal e.g. pongify, rapid hybridization and maybe one more board wipe. If creatures are still getting you down after that, Humility can also just striaght up nerf some decks entirely and although it would seem to put a big dent in your voltron plan, your equipment package can work alongside it to ensure you have the most threatening board presence. Humility is a removal magnet though, so be sure to protect it if you need to but you can also just use it to stall for a bit and mitigate damage/slow game progress for a few critical turns.

Phoenixlance · Post by **Phoenixlance** » 3 years ago

Humility is definitely a powerful effect that probably has a home here. But I think I might've traded my only copy a while ago in the before times

I'll have to dive through my boxes again to confirm, but definitely something to make note of in the future for when I can get back to my local shops.

I've been running some simulated games as I try to figure out cuts for Preordain et al. and more removal, and in the process I exchanged Elspeth for Approach while also testing Fireshrieker over Sword of Fire and Ice. Double Strike on Ojutai to dig six cards deep for answers is incredibly useful, and allows for faster Voltron kills. However, losing protection from red and blue can hurt. Might be a scenario where running both is correct, although I would prefer to keep the Equipment package as slim as possible to maximize room for answers.

Post by **ISBPathfinder** » 3 years ago

I did a build back when Ojutai was released and I kind of horrified myself. It.... technically was a 75% deck in that it contained no combos or MLD but it went super hard. Essentially I ran almost every bit of tempo ramp / ramp that would get me to Ojutai by like turn 3 or sooner. From there I would hit the commander into play early. Cast a bunch of extra turns and a splash of vigilance / untappers / counter magic just for funzies. Its.... not fun to play against and I only played it a few times before I realized I wasn't even having fun goldfishing people with it. I was however fairly often killing players by the time they got their 5th turn though.... I am not sure that is the direction you want to go but I figured I would mention I have done it and built that. Its kind of a brutal deck to just throw into the mix though to be honest.

It looks like you are going a bit more of a control strategy with your direction rather than tempo murdering people. I guess my concern with where you are at right now is that you don't look like you have a lot of ways to actively defend yourself other than countering everything that gets played. You do have a few wraths but I think you might want to consider like, Wall of Omens, Fog Bank, Propaganda to mention a few options. People tend to get annoyed when someone is sitting back countering everything so I think that you might take a lot of attacks just for that. I could also see Kefnet the Mindful being a decent blocker consideration given that it would open you up to answer or draw cards giving it sort of dual purpose.

You are also real heavy on counter magic and spot removal. It looks like you might be relying on Ojutai a bit heavily for the draw to sustain it. I think its possible you might want to cut a little more of the instants for more draw at a minimum.

Fate Forgotten should probably be Crush Contraband, Return to Dust, or Forsake the Worldly.

I guess maybe its worth questioning if you need all of the tutors and or recursive spells that you are running. The reason I say this is that your instants at least feel kind of heavily redundant. What are you tutoring with Mystical Tutor? You have like 13 counterspells, is it really worth taking the setup and card disadvantage tutoring to get a specific one? I also don't know how much I love Snapcaster Mage in this format just due to a 2/1 body being a lot less relevant than in 1v1 formats. If you have a lot of toolbox then I guess he has a lot of options but it feels like you mostly have counterspells and spot removal. I have found myself playing a lot less of these sort of effects myself as time goes on even though I love snapcaster and have been playing with him since he first released in standard.

Ideally if money isn't a deterrent I think picking up a copy of Grim Monolith would be an asset for this list. The new Jeweled Lotus could also be quite a treat. I think replacing some of the 3-5 mana ramp that you run could be easy with some of these if you can afford them / want to make upgrades. Gemstone Caverns and some of the moxen could always be options as well if you are looking to speed things up a bit more but all of these things take a little time and investment which I understand if they are out of the budget.

Phoenixlance · Post by **Phoenixlance** » 3 years ago

Yeah, there's definitely a world where I could see myself leaning into that tempo murder plan. Even now my list has most of those fast mana rocks needed to pull it off, and I have definitely had games before where I go T1 Land, Ring, Crypt into T2 Ojutai which are just absolutely wild. But I get more enjoyment out of slower, more controlling games where I rely more on politics and my own decision-making to hopefully maneuver my way to victory. People will largely still die to a a dual-wielding dragon, but the game will have felt more honest I guess? I'm not sure if I am making much sense with that.

I've honestly never considered Wall of Omens in a list like this before. Same with Fog Bank. However, maybe that's the line I've been missing when it comes to defending myself: rather than trying to find room for even more removal, look for speed bumps to put in the path of creatures coming my way. Adding Wall of Omens also means that Restoration Angel becomes an attractive option too: most of my creatures have ETB effects I would love to trigger a second time, she also acts as a "counterspell" when used on Ojutai, and as an absolute floor she's a flying blocker. I also have a French Kefnet that I've been trying to find a home for too, although my main concern with him is how often will I have 7+ cards in hand to actually make him worthwhile as a blocker.

ISBPathfinder wrote: ↑
3 years ago
You are also real heavy on counter magic and spot removal. It looks like you might be relying on Ojutai a bit heavily for the draw to sustain it. I think its possible you might want to cut a little more of the instants for more draw at a minimum.

You're absolutely right on your point about Ojutai, and it's partially why I've been testing Fireshrieker these past couple days. Even though I want to favor that more controlling playstyle, the need to dig usually results in me needed to play him as early as possible to keep the cards flowing. More draw--particularly at lower CMCs--can help not only smooth out my early game like I've been wanting, but also serve as a different/reliable way to keep my hand full so my day isn't completely ruined by Drannith Magistrate. This is also why I play as much countermagic as I do, so I can maximize the likelihood of snagging protection for Ojutai off her trigger. However, you are absolutely correct that too much countermagic definitely leads to feel-bad situations which I would like to avoid. Generally speaking, what would be a good/correct number to run in a controlling deck like this?

Card draw is honestly the main reason why I play Mystical Tutor right now: I'd say about 75% of the time it searches for either Sphinx's Revelation or Mystic Confluence (as a draw 3). However, even despite that it's probably one of the weaker instants in the deck next to Fate Forgotten (which should absolutely just be one of those 3 cards you mentioned and I really dunno why it's not). It's possible the more card draw I add the less needed Mystical Tutor becomes, although I really do enjoy the redundancy it gives me. Snapcaster too, although I think Torrential Gearhulk might be nearing the end of its time here. 6 mana upfront is a lot more than 2, and Snapcaster being able to target sorceries is incredibly relevant at times. Do you think adding more card draw to this at the expense of the plethora of removal/counters make Snapcaster more useful in your eyes?

Of the cards you mentioned, I'd say Lotus and Caverns are the closest to being in budget for me right now, although even then I'll probably hold off on opening the wallet on cardboard. That being said, I think swapping out the 3+ cmc rocks for Arcane Signet, Talisman of Progress, and Azorius Signet is probably a good start.

Phoenixlance · Post by **Phoenixlance** » 3 years ago

Not going to lie, I kind of forgot I had this thread here. The deck has gone through a huge evolution since initially posting, so let's get right into the changes:

04/18/2021

CUTS:

1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

1 Trinket Mage

1 Sun Titan

1 Torrential Gearhulk

1 Tithe

1 Disallow

1 Forbid

1 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Coalition Relic

1 Commander's Sphere

1 Crucible of Worlds

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

1 Celestial Colonnade

1 Command Beacon

1 Eiganjo Castle

1 Tolaria West

1 Wasteland

ADDS:

1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

1 Cosima, God of Voyage

1 Nezahal, Primal Tide

1 Preordain

1 Serum Visions

1 Steelshaper's Gift

1 Doomskar

1 Cleansing Nova

1 Approach of the Second Sun

1 Sea Gate Restoration

1 Opt

1 Stubborn Denial

1 Impulse

1 Pull from Tomorrow

1 Reality Shift

1 Unexpectedly Absent

1 Talisman of Progress

1 Thought Vessel

1 Fireshrieker

1 Authority of the Consuls

1 Island

1 Plains

Approximate Total Cost:

Like I said...a lot of changes. I found a way to add in blue's cantrip suite and have immediately noticed a change in how smooth the deck feels, particularly in the early game. This combined with the switch to earlier ramp effects has made getting off the ground much easier. I've also added other/more improved card draw later in the curve with Big Tef, Nezahal, Pull from Tomorrow and the new Sea Gate Restoration as well. It felt weird cutting Fact or Fiction, but I honestly haven't noticed it too much. The additional card draw effects also meant SoFI was less needed, and I've really enjoyed the additional digging power provided to me by Fireshrieker.

I've changed up my interaction suite as well. I trimmed a little on the number of countermagic, and added some additional spot removal to help deal with onboard threats so countermagic can be saved for critical moments. Hour was put to the Maybeboard in favor of the flexibility provided by Nova so I didn't accidentally wipe away my Voltron pieces. Doomskar is cute, and I'm not sure having only a single instance of Foretell is worth it or not, but I like having the cost split over two payments so I can efficiently maximize my mana.

Approach of the Second Sun has been serving me well as an additional win condition, and I added Nexus of Fate as well for my only extra turn effect. The more I play with Approach the less sure I am about it's inclusion, as I have noticed games are becoming a bit repetitive, so we shall see if I don't move on from it.

I wasn't able to find room for the speedbumps ISB mentioned, however I did cut the inefficient tutors as Gearhulk to help reduce clunkiness. I'm keeping Snapcaster in the list for now, as I really appreciate its flexibility.

Finally, the mana base got a bit of an overhaul as well. Tomb wound up getting moved to another deck of mine, but I haven't really missed it.

Given that it's an enemy pair set, I wasn't expecting Strixhaven to have many new toys for my favorite dragon. However, I will be adding Resculpt in place of Reality Shift once I get the card. Being able to deal with an artifact *or* a creature is great flexibility at the same cost.

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